


Brief Encounter

by MauveCat



Category: Endless Summer (Visual Novel), The Heist: Monaco (Visual Novel)
Genre: Family Feels, Gen, Hacking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 05:01:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29879454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MauveCat/pseuds/MauveCat
Summary: A meeting of the minds, and a meeting between equals.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Brief Encounter

“Mom?” The front door of the Yazdi house slammed. “I’m home, Mom! And Cora is here, too. We’re gonna work on our social studies project. Mom...? MOM!”

Samira smiled and called, “I’m in my office, Lulu.” Quickly bringing up an assortment of recipes and gardening sites, she put her real work on hold and turned to face the door just as her daughter burst into the room, another little girl following closely on her heels. “And hello, Cora. Does your father know that you’re here?”

“Uh-huh. I have to be home by six, though. He doesn’t want me to be late for supper again.” Cora peered around the crowded office. “Wow. This is a _lot_ of computers.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Samira said amiably as she beckoned her daughter to her side. “Have you decided on your topic yet?”

Lulu rolled her eyes, but she allowed her mother to kiss the top of her head. “Yeah. We decided to do a diorama about the environmental impact of pipelines. I’m looking up all the science stuff, and Cora’s gonna make it look really cool. She has some ideas on how to make a fake oil spill and a bunch of sad animals. I’ve got a lot of felt and construction paper in my craft box, and Cora brought pipe cleaners and markers.”

Samira beamed. “That sounds like a wonderful project, and very socially conscious. And I’m so glad that you’re dividing the work – always remember that facts and presentation are equally important. All right, sweetheart, you and Cora can grab a snack – a healthy one! – and then get to work. If you need an empty box for the diorama, look in the living room. I bought your father some new shoes and I haven’t put the box in the recycling bin yet. I’ll set a timer for a quarter to six, so you and I will have plenty of time to walk Cora home. Have fun, girls... oh, and I need to concentrate on something, so could you close my office door when you leave?” When she was alone again, Samira smiled fondly before turning her monitors back on.

Lulu was home safely, there was a crockpot full of chicken enchilada soup simmering in the kitchen, and Halim would get off work in a few hours. There was just enough time before supper for the dark wings of justice to take flight once again. It was time for Blackbird to soar.

Humming a little to herself, Samira carefully eased her way back into the computer systems of Rourke International. She’d always been suspicious of Everett Rourke, but she’d never taken time to dig into his company as much as she’d wanted to – after Lulu was born, she’d considered herself to be retired, after all. Once she’d gotten back into the game, though... well, she still hadn’t had time at first. There were regimes to topple, and oligarchs to unseat, and Lulu’s soccer schedule took precedence, of course. And with Mr. Rourke’s arrest and the restructuring of his companies, she’d decided to let the dust settle for a while.

And now... Samira sighed in admiration as she crept around a firewall. Rourke International’s security systems were unexpectedly efficient, and much tighter than she’d expected. It had taken her three days to find a way in through the janitorial and maintenance division. She was pleased to notice that they bought only non-toxic cleaning supplies, and their company-wide recycling protocols were top of the line. Curious, she eased her way into the HR system, and she raised her eyebrows. Even entry-level custodial staff had full benefits and more-than-adequate family leave policies. It had only been a year since the company had changed hands, but employee turnover was far below what she’d expect to see in a corporation of this size –

She froze as a chat box opened in the middle of her screen. A moment later, a message appeared: **Hey. It’s rude to walk in without knocking.**

Samira stared at the message, her eyes narrowed. As she began a trace, she typed, _My compliments. Most people wouldn’t even notice my presence, let alone be able to open a channel back to me. Would you care to identify yourself?_

**Don’t wanna take too much credit for that, I got a friend who helped track you down. You can call me Lichqueen. And who the hell are you?**

Lichqueen... that name was familiar. Samira took a second to access her files of other hackers she’d come across. _Ah, yes, I’ve heard of you. You made a good effort on the Petrovski organization back in 2016. But you might have aimed a little too high there, I think._

**Tell me about it. I was young and stupid. I went back for them once I leveled up, but I’ve mostly scaled back these days.**

_I see._ Samira found the more recent information she was looking for. _You were responsible for helping Angelica Howard disappear a few months ago, weren’t you? Good work._

Somehow, she could sense an embarrassed shrug when the reply appeared. **No big deal. She and her kids had to get away from her husband, and it was too risky to wait until the Feds grabbed him. Didn’t want to give him a chance to add murder to all the racketeering charges he’s facing. I just helped her move a pile of his money into a safe account and got her and the kids fresh IDs.**

_You also managed to get the twins into a very exclusive preschool in Montreal… well done. Their waiting list is usually three years long. I imagine the government was disappointed that they won’t be able to use her testimony in the trial, though._

**That’s their problem. They’ve got more than enough to bury Howard without her.**

_I understand that Mr. Howard is also under investigation for his family’s murder._

**Boo hoo. He’s had other people killed, he just didn’t get around to his wife yet. You still haven’t told me who you are.**

Samira thought it over, then decided on honesty. _Blackbird._

There was a long pause, and then.... **Wow. WOW. First of all, HUGE fan. What you did to the Kailua cartel was LEGENDARY. And the way you took down – okay. Sorry, fangirl mode off. I feel really weird asking you now, but what’s got you interested in RI?**

 _I might ask you the same thing_ , Samira replied. _I find it hard to believe that Lichqueen is obeying a corporate master these days. Why would you act in service of the Rourke boy?_ Hmm, some creative use of proxies on the other end. Samira was impressed, but she’d still managed to narrow Lichqueen’s location to the East Coast.

**I don’t serve anyone. Purely freelancing this gig. Got my eyes on an Orion X2 rig and they ain’t cheap. You didn’t answer my question.**

_Because I do not answer to you. Do you really think you’re in any position to challenge me?_

Another long pause. **I’M SORRY I JUST CAN’T GET OVER THE FACT THAT I’M GETTING LECTURED BY BLACKBIRD!!!! 20 year old me would DIE to be in my shoes.**

Samira laughed softly to herself. Trying to remain stern, she typed, _That’s not my problem. When I ask a question, I expect an ans_ – She blinked in surprise as another small window opened up and her speakers came to life.

“Oh, I _do_ enjoy watching professionals work.” The voice coming out of her speakers was smooth and British, and sounded thoroughly amused. “All right, dear, I appreciate your help. I’ll take over now.”

“Awww, but do you know who this _is_?” The woman – it must be Lichqueen – sounded very disappointed, and rather young.

A soft laugh came through the speakers. “Don’t fret – if this conversation goes well, perhaps you and Ms. Blackbird can speak again. I’ll be in touch soon, dear. Take care.” The chat screen blipped off the screen.

Running three scans at once – how had this woman gotten through all of her security protocols? – Samira forced her voice to remain calm. “I hadn’t heard that Lichqueen has worked with anyone since her first stab at the Petrovskis.”

“We’re not precisely working together – and I’m sure the poor girl is probably cursing up a storm now that I’ve closed off her connection to you – but when I noticed that someone was trying to infiltrate the Rourke computer systems, I asked her to assist me in contacting you. Please don’t hold this against her, but I asked her to keep you occupied while I made sure that you weren’t intending to cause any mischief. And you needn’t worry. I have no interest in causing any trouble for you. I’m simply inquiring as to your intentions.”

“My intentions?” Samira sat back. Other than the chat box and her speakers, there was no sign of any retaliatory intrusions into her system. After a moment’s thought, she once again decided on an honest reply. “I’m simply curious. Everett Rourke had a… reputation. From what I’ve seen in the media, his son claims to be taking the company in a different direction and I wondered how sincere he is.”

“I see. And what have you concluded, if I may ask?”

Tapping her lip, Samira sighed. “I’ve only seen a few personnel policy pages, but… I’m impressed. Even brand-new hires have complete medical _and_ dental coverage, a full month’s vacation, and an option to contribute to a rather healthy retirement fund. It seems that all employees, from the top researchers to the security guards and janitorial staff, have equal benefits. You don’t see much of that these days.”

“I know. Have you come across the scholarship program? They’re understandably proud of it.”

Samira sat up a little straighter as a few files opened spontaneously. She read through them quickly; she’d definitely want to look into that more closely. “Yes, I can see why. If the younger Rourke simply wanted to create a good impression for the media, he’d be doing something… flashier, I think.” She paused. “You know, I might be a little more forthcoming if I knew who I was speaking to.”

She heard a friendly chuckle. “Fair enough. My friends call me Iris, so why don’t we go with that? After all, I very much doubt that _your_ name is actually Blackbird.”

In spite of herself, Samira laughed. “Fair enough, as you say.” More thoughtfully, she went on. “I’ve been trying to figure out why Rourke turned over half of his company – well, what remains of it, I suppose – to that young woman from San Trobida. Most of the testimony from his father’s trial is still under seal, but I know that she was a witness and I also know that she was one of the college students involved in that La Huerta business. I haven’t looked into her testimony yet.”

“I feel safe in assuming that ‘yet’ is the operative word in that sentence. I’m also sure that you’ll have no difficulties in opening the trial transcripts.” Iris sighed. “I’ll save you some time, but I’m relying on your discretion. Estela is Aleister’s half-sister. They’re working on a press release disclosing their relationship, but they wish to keep the revelation – well, low-key, I suppose.”

“Hmm. So young Rourke split up his company – and defunded some very profitable and highly secretive research programs – and immediately gave half of what was left to his long-lost sister. How very noble.”

“Nobility had nothing to do with his decision,” Iris replied sharply. “But… I suppose it isn’t my place to speak for him. Let’s just say that Aleister’s intention is to counteract as many of his father’s misdeeds as possible.”

“Understandable, I suppose. It seems that there was a lot to counteract.” Samira nodded to herself as she scanned the articles she’d just called up. They were part of the massive media coverage dealing with the aftermath of the La Huerta Incident and Everett Rourke’s trial and conviction. Her mouth quirked up in a smile as she came across a photograph of the young people in question getting off a Coast Guard cutter. A sneering, dark-haired woman was flipping off the camera… her smile widened as she saw the list of names and identified Zahra Namazi. According to the caption, she’d been a computer science major at the time. Now wasn’t _that_ interesting. Perhaps she and Lichqueen _should_ have another conversation – there were so few Iranian-American women in the hacking community, after all. Getting back to the matter at hand, she said, “Considering that the young lady’s uncle is a famous revolutionary, I think it’s unlikely that Ms. Montoya would be involved in any organization without a strong social conscience…. All right, Iris. I haven’t seen anything alarming in the files I’ve accessed, so I’ll leave Rourke International alone… provisionally. I’ll check up on them now and then, of course.”

“Somehow, I’d expect nothing less from Blackbird,” Iris answered wryly.

Smiling, Samira finally felt herself relax, and her smile grew softer when she heard Lulu’s voice from the other end of the house – she was outraged at how many gallons of crude oil spilled in an average year. _Good girl. Halim and I are raising her with the right priorities._ “I suppose… well, the second Rourke might want to accept family wherever he finds it. According to his biography, his mother died when he was quite young.”

“Yes. She did.” Samira couldn’t miss the sudden bleakness in Iris’s voice but before she could do more than blink, the other woman continued briskly. “I don’t usually do this, but….” An email alert flashed in Samira’s toolbar. “If you wish to contact me in the future, please feel free.”

Nodding slowly, Samira glanced over the email – it seemed to be a promotion from a local department store. It looked innocuous enough and there was no obvious contact information, but there _was_ a bit of clever encryption in an image of a lovely fall jacket… it would be a perfect addition to her wardrobe. She’d have to see if the store actually carried it. “I just might take you up on that. So many of the groups that I’m a part of are a bit narrow in their interests. The ladies in my book club would never understand how thrilling it is to destroy a drug czar’s life – and the crews I’ve run with just don’t seem to grasp how stressful a PTA meeting can be. I mean, I understand having a primary focus in your life, but you need balance in your downtime, don’t you? It’s so good for your mental health to have hobbies.”

“My dear, I quite agree,” Iris answered with unfeigned warmth. “I’ve started to become interested in whale migrations in the Indian Ocean myself – oh, and just out of curiosity, a dear friend of mine is working on some cooking videos. He’s trying to find a reliable pie crust recipe that will work in both sweet and savory dishes. It’s been a while since I’ve been in a kitchen so I haven’t been of much help, but would you happen to have any recommendations that I could pass along?”

Samira laughed in delight. “Iris, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

**Author's Note:**

> ...Because Zahra needs a mentor, and IRIS needs a friend.
> 
> Zahra isn't precisely on the Rourke payroll; she's more of a contractor. Every now and then she'll take a look at the computer system and see how long it takes her to hack into it. Then she shows up at the head of IT's office with a smirk and a huge coffee and she shows the department how to patch the holes.


End file.
